Job Sheet: Painter and Decorator
Job title
Painter and Decorator
Job description
Painters and decorators put the finishing touches to new buildings, but can work on someone's home, in an office, shop or a public building that has to be renovated or redecorated.
Painters and decorators prepare surfaces for painting, they apply paint, varnish, wallpaper and other finishes to protect, maintain and decorate interior and exterior surfaces of residential, commercial and industrial buildings and many other structures.
Painters are virtually the last people working on a new building, which means that the actual finish of the building on which they are working is entirely in their hands.
Painters and decorators sometimes work by themselves or they can work as part of a team - inside or outside, up ladders or scaffolds every day is difference and every day they get the chance to change the way things look!
Qualifications required
To start on a career in the painting industry it helps to be:
- Physically fit
- Able to work at heights
- Enjoy practical work
- Good hand-eye coordination
- Normal colour vision
- Good sense of balance
- Able to work independently or as part of a team
There are no specific entry requirements to become a painter and decorator as you learn skills on the job. Once you start working you can start an apprenticeship and gain a National Certificate in Painting through the Creative Trades Industry Training Organisation.
It helps to have an understanding of maths, reading and writing.
Passing NCEA Level 1 or 2 Maths and English will certainly help. It
doesn't matter if you don't have passes in those subjects, you can
still be a successful painter - talk to the team at Creative Trades
ITO and in some instances, they can help you in those areas to
enable you to get an Apprenticeship.
Training costs
The following are the approximate costs for an apprenticeship as
at 1st January 2010 - please note all costs are GST
inclusive.
Industry Contribution fee $ 297.00 pa Block Course -
Painting - Stage 1 $ 453.75
Unit standard per credit fee $ 1.55 Block Course -
Painting - Stage 2 $ 478.05
Apprenticeship training record book $ 69.30 Wall
covering 3 day training course $ 165.00
Industrial coatings $ POA Wall covering 5 day
assessment $ 280.25
Specialised coatings $ POA Spray techniques 3 day
assessment $ 280.25
Sometimes employers help out with training costs - it all depends
on your employment contract.
Off Job Training - Block Courses
Two block courses are required over the term of apprenticeship (NC
in Painting).
Each block course runs for two weeks.
Block courses are held at an accredited training provider.
CPIT in Christchurch, Unitec in Auckland and WELTEC in
Wellington.
People completing the strands in spray techniques, wall coverings,
specialised coatings or industrial coatings will be contacted at
the appropriate time to discuss assessment options.
Location
Anywhere and everywhere!!
Career path
Painters and Decorators can be employed by painting and decorating contracting firms, or can work for themselves and won their own business.
Depending on where you work there is the chance to advance to supervisory positions, technical training or sales work - depending on where your interest lies.
Salary range
Pay for painters and decorators vary, depending on skills,
experience and the employer.
Painters and decorators often start out on the minimum wage.
With experience, they can earn up to $25 an hour ($52,000 a year
based on a 40-hour week).
Those who run their own businesses may earn between $25 and $35 an
hour (between $52,000 and 72,000 a year), or more.
(Source Careers Website)
Other careers this profession could lead to
Being a painter and decorator doesn't always mean you are on the end of a roller.
If you enjoy working with colour and clients you could enjoy working on the retail side of the painting industry - in a store advising people on how best to paint their home. You could project manage or supervise other tradespeople or get involved in the administration side of the business.
How to increase the chances of successfully entering this
industry
Be enthusiastic - be open to working - start talking to everyone you know and let them know you are looking for an apprenticeship.
Check out the yellow pages and start calling around asking business owners if they have any suggestion or know of anyone who is looking for a hard worker.
Don't get your Mum to call! Even if you are shy or nervous - write down what you want to say and take your time - but try and make the call yourself.
Places to source information about this job
